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Ramp Reconstruction Project in Full Swing

Phase 1 of a five-phase, $90-million project to reconstruct the concrete, aircraft-parking ramp that surrounds passenger terminal concourses A, B and C at Memphis International Airport is well underway. Phase 1, (the courtyard between B and C concourses) is scheduled to be completed by January 31, 2013, with all five phases expected to be completed in approximately three years.

The full project includes the demolition and removal of approximately 350,000 square yards of concrete and base material that is 40-50 years old and must be replaced, having served its useful life.

Also included in the project will be the replacement of underground utilities such as hydrant fueling, storm drainage, underdrains, and water lines. more »

The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for Excellence in Financial Reporting in our 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

This is the 23rd consecutive year that the Airport Authority has received this prestigious national award, which recognizes it for conforming to the highest standards for its preparation of state and local government financial reports.

The award commends the Authority's report for evidencing a spirit of transparency and full disclosure.

The report was reviewed by the GFOA professional staff and its Special Review Committee, which is comprised of experts in public-sector financial reporting, including independent auditors, academicians and other finance professionals.

Former Airport Authority Director and President's Story of WWII Heroics Told in New Book

Former director and president of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Willard M. Fletcher and the Navy attack squadron in which he served during World War II are the subject of a new narrative book published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group Inc., in July of this year. Intrepid Aviators: The True Story of USS Intrepid's Torpedo Squadron 18 and Its Epic Clash With the Superbattleship Musashi tells the tale not only of Fletcher's personal heroics, but the squadron of which he was a part.

First deploying in August 1944, Torpedo Squadron 18 participated in Admiral William F. Halsey's fast carrier raids over the Palau and Visayan Islands, Luzon, Okinawa and Formosa, and he fought continuously in the three-day running air-sea battle that became known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, three of the most intense days of carrier combat in the Pacific War. Fletcher was in the first wave of American carrier planes to strike at the Japanese fleet in October 1944, and he was credited with making the first confirmed torpedo hit on Musashi, which sank later in the day. Fletcher's airplane was set afire in the effort, and he crash-landed in the Sibuyan Sea. Rescued by Filipino guerrillas, he fought with guerrilla forces on Panay until his repatriation by submarine in December 1944. Of the 28 pilots who deployed with the squadron, 15, including Fletcher, won the Navy Cross for gallantry. more »

Gregory Fletcher, author of Intrepid Aviators, signs a copy of his book for Larry Cox, President and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, at a book signing recently held at the Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis.

American Airlines Launches Checked-Baggage Delivery Service

American Airlines has launched a new baggage delivery service that will allow its customers the option of bypassing the baggage-claim carousels and heading straight out the airport door to their destinations after landing. Customers can have their checked baggage delivered to their offices, homes, hotels or wherever their final destinations may be. Passengers can even have their golf clubs delivered directly to the golf course.

The service is available seven days a week, including holidays, at more than 200 U.S. domestic airports (including Memphis International Airport) and at select international pre-clearance cities.

To take advantage of this new service, you must book your flight on AA.com, and then, up to two hours prior to departure, you can click on 'View Itinerary' to have the option of buying this service. The cost is $29.95 for 1 bag, $39.95 for 2 bags, and $49.95 for 3 to 10 bags. more »

Airport Statistics Highlights

July 2012

July 2011

Year-to-Date 2012

Year-to-Date 2011

Total Passengers

640,345

794,350

4,279,209

5,295,967

Total Cargo Handled (lbs)

698,820,922

697,875,594

5,066,512,381

4,930,846,962

Total Aircraft Operations

22,562

26,051

162,918

185,415

For the full statistical report on Memphis International Airport, click here.